Kansas City trucker sentenced for 14 years of truck, cargo theft

By Charlie Morasch, Land Line contributing writer | Tuesday, December 09, 2014

A Kansas City, Mo., truck driver was sentenced to more than two decades in prison this week for his role in a 14-year truck, trailer and cargo theft operation that featured a shopping list.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, truck driver Kenneth Ray Borders, 43, was sentenced Monday, Dec. 8, by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to serve 21 years and 10 months in prison without parole. Borders was previously found guilty of participating in a conspiracy of theft of commercial trucks, trailers and their cargo during a trial in February 2014. The thefts occurred in Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska between 1998 and December 2013.

A news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said Borders also was ordered to pay $1,270,089 in restitution to 27 victims.

On Dec. 14, 2012, Borders and 10 other men were charged in a 25-count indictment that remained under seal for one year. In late December 2013, the indictment was unsealed and made public.

According to prosecutors, each defendant worked to steal commercial trucks and trailers, as well as stolen meat, beer, Nike shoes, electronics, appliances and dog food. Borders, Tidwell, Turner and Foster allegedly stole five Freightliner trucks and 17 trailers between 2005 and 2011. The trailers included reefers with 39,000 pounds of meat; 565 boxes of beef valued at $149,790; $125,000 worth of frozen ribs; and tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of frozen chicken, including $59,706 in chicken wings alone. The indictment also showed one trailer with $16,657 worth of Budweiser beer, Nike shoes worth $217,353, and 21,000 pounds of Little Sizzler sausages.

Prosecutors said most of the goods were sold “cheaply to anyone who wanted to buy it.”

Jon Dickerson, prosecutors said in the release, typically had first right to purchase stolen trucks and trailers. Dickerson even gave Borders a shopping list for trucks and trailers he wanted when the opportunity to steal them arose.

Dickerson and his son, Kyle Dickerson, also stole trucks and trailers and used them in their trucking business. The release said the pair had equipment for hiding original VINs so they could use the equipment in their trucking company. The father and son sometimes used stolen trucks and trailers for parts before selling them for scrap.

Jon Dickerson was found guilty during a court trial of three counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods and one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles. Kyle Dickerson was found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles, two counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods, and one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles.

Piggie, who owns the MP Convenience Store in Kansas City, Mo., was once a major player in summer basketball leagues central to major college basketball recruiting. He once served jail time after being convicted of funneling money to top prep basketball players, including several who later played in the NBA.

Prosecutors allege the men reused the stolen trucks and trailers with false vehicle identification numbers, fake license plates, forged registration documents and made-up carrier names. The group even faked U.S. DOT certificates. When trucks or trailers broke down, the men disposed of them rather than repair them.

Investigators later found stolen truck and trailers dismantled on property lots leased by the defendants.

The case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General; the FBI; the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department; the National Insurance Crime Bureau; the National White Collar Crime Center; the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center; Travelers Investigative Services; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Florida State Highway Patrol; and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.